Transport vehicle for a rotor blade of a wind-energy turbine

ABSTRACT

The invention is relative to a transport vehicle with a tractor and a trailer that are connected to one another during the transport of cargo by the cargo itself. The invention has the problem of making a transport vehicle available that also makes possible the transport on highways of very bulky material, especially such material that exceeds the usual profile height of underpasses and bridges (freeway bridges, etc.). A transport vehicle for a rotor blade of a wind power system with a tractor and a trailer that are connected to one another during the transport of the rotor blade by the rotor blade and that respectively comprise a holding device and/or receiving device for the rotor blade which holding device and/or receiving device is/are designed in such a manner that it/they permit(s) a rotation of the rotor blade about its longitudinal axis and that a drive for rotating the rotor blade is provided on the tractor and/or the trailer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of and claims priority under 35U.S.C. §120 from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/509,951, entitled“TRANSPORT VEHICLE FOR A ROTOR BLADE OF A WIND-ENERGY TURBINE,” filedAug. 25, 2006, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/886,945, entitled “TRANSPORT VEHICLE FOR A ROTOR BLADE OF AWIND-ENERGY TURBINE,” filed Jul. 8, 2004 and issued as U.S. Pat. No.7,303,365 on Dec. 4, 2007, which is a continuation-in-part of and claimspriority under 35 U.S.C. §120 from International Patent ApplicationSerial No. PCT/EP02/14700, filed Dec. 21, 2002 and designating theUnited States, which claims priority from German (DE) patent applicationSer. No. 102 00 401.3, filed Jan. 8, 2002.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/886,945, entitled “TRANSPORT VEHICLEFOR A ROTOR BLADE OF A WIND-ENERGY TURBINE,” filed Jul. 8, 2004 andissued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,365 on Dec. 4, 2007 is also a continuationof and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 from U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/345,851, entitled “TRANSPORT VEHICLE FOR A ROTOR BLADE OF AWIND-ENERGY TURBINE,” filed Feb. 2, 2006 and issued as U.S. Pat. No.7,581,934 on Sep. 1, 2009.

All of these same applications and patents name a common sole inventorand are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a transport vehicle with a tractor anda trailer that are connected to one another during the transport ofcargo by the cargo itself.

2. Description of the Related Art

Such transport vehicles have long been known and are used especially inthe transporting of large pipes, e.g., tower pipes of wind powersystems.

The advantage of such transport vehicles, consisting of thetractor/trailer system, is substantially that the outer dimensions ofthe entire transport can be held to a sufficient size with a justifiableexpense and in particular the transport height can be held so low thatit is regularly possible to travel through underpasses, tunnels, bridgesand the like.

DE 199 38 017 teaches a device for receiving oversize loads. This deviceis a low-bed trailer on which the oversize load can be pivoted, ifnecessary and desired, from a horizontal position into an almostvertical position.

However, in the field of wind power technology even previously knowntransport vehicle systems are reaching their limits because the outerdimension of the structural units such as, e.g., tower segments, rotorblades, etc.

have become so great that the use of such transport systems is no longerreadily possible. The suggestion has already been made that newlydesigned zeppelin vehicles be used for transporting large and bulkyloads; however, the transport with such systems has not yet been testedand, moreover, very high transport costs must be reckoned with in thecase of such systems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and a transport vehicle aimed atthe problem of making a transport vehicle available that makes possiblethe transport on highways of very bulky material, especially suchmaterial that exceeds the usual profile height of underpasses andbridges (freeway bridges, etc.).

This problem is solved with a transport vehicle with features disclosedherein.

The transport vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the invention isespecially suited for transporting large rotor blades with a lengthgreater than 40 m and a maximum width of more than 5 m.

This great transport width signifies in the normal instance that eventhe normal roadway profile is exceeded as regards the width of a freewaylane with such a transport. The large width of a rotor blade exceeds thewidth of a freeway lane. The rotor blade should therefore also betransported in a “vertical” position so that the maximum width of therotor blade therefore represents the maximum height of the entiretransport. However, if such a transport must pass through a freewaybridge it can occur that the transport height is too great and passageunder a freeway bridge (the height is usually 4 m or 5 m) is impossible.

If the entire rotor blade is rotated prior to passing under the freewaybridge, it is placed on its “side” in such a manner that the rotor bladeis no longer vertical at its maximum width location, but rather it isplaced approximately 90° to the side so that it is now possible totravel under a freeway bridge. After the passage through the freewaybridge the rotor blade can be rotated back into its previous position bymeans of the rotating device so that the traffic on other freeway lanesis no longer hindered, which is very likely during the passage throughthe freeway bridge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a transport vehicle holding a rotor bladein the vertical position according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the transport vehicle of FIG. 1 holdingthe rotor blade in a rotated horizontal position.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a holding device rotatably mounted on thetrailer of the transport vehicle of FIG. 1 holding the rotor blade inthe vertical position.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the holding device of FIG. 3 holding therotor blade in a rotated horizontal position.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the holdingdevice of FIG. 3 with the rotor blade not present.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a holding device operably connected tothe tractor of the transport vehicle of FIG. 1 and receiving the rotorblade at the rotor blade root.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the frame of the holding device of FIG. 6captively receiving a rotary support that is rotatably connected to therotor blade root.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the rotary support and the rotor bladeroot of FIG. 7 with the frame of the holding device of FIG. 6 notpresent and showing the rotary drive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present detailed description is directed toward wind power systemrotor blade transportation means. Several details of certain embodimentsof the invention are set forth in the following description andillustrated in FIGS. 1-8. One skilled in the art, however, willunderstand that the present invention may have additional embodimentsand may be practiced without several of the details described in thefollowing description and illustrated in the figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a rotor blade 16 being transported by means of atransport vehicle 10 according to one embodiment of the presentinvention such that the rotor blade maximum width (W) (which is, forexample, 5 m or more) is positioned vertically. The transport vehicle 10is comprised of a tractor 12, a rotor blade 16, and a trailer 14. Thetractor 12 has a rotor blade holding device 30, and the trailer 14includes a trailer rotor blade holding device 20.

FIG. 2 illustrates the transport vehicle 10 of FIG. 1 with the rotorblade 16 being transported in a rotated horizontal position such thatthe rotor blade thickness (T) is positioned vertically and the rotorblade maximum width (W) is now positioned horizontally. When a freewaybridge 18 or other obstacles with a vertical height limitation areencountered, the entire rotor blade 16 is selectively rotated byapproximately 90°, as illustrated in FIG. 2, so that it is possible topass under the freeway bridge 18 or other height-limited obstaclewithout contact.

In another embodiment of the present invention it is also readilypossible for the roadway passage profile of roads to be measured andappropriately programmed or stored in a databank in such a manner thatif the cargo height during transport is too great for passing under aheight-limited obstacle, an appropriate pivoting into a horizontal orside position is automatically initiated or is displayed to the vehicledriver so that he can initiate rotation of the cargo.

FIG. 3 illustrates, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention, the position of the trailer rotor blade holding device 20before the rotation of the rotor blade. In this embodiment of thepresent invention, one or more radial frames 22 support the rotor bladeholding frame 23. Furthermore, the radial frames 22 rest on plurality ofrollers 24 to allow the rotation of the rotor blade 16. The plurality ofrollers 24 are mounted on a trailer attach frame 26. Those skilled inthe art will appreciate other embodiments of the present invention thatallow for the rotation of the rotor blade 16 at the trailing end. Forexample, the rollers 24 may be mounted on the radial frames 22 and rollinside a radial track with a radius that corresponds to the rotation ofthe rotor blade 16.

FIG. 4 illustrates the position of the trailer rotor blade holdingdevice 20 and the rotor blade 16 after the rotation. The flanges 25 areincorporated at the ends of radial frames 22 to prevent over-rotation ofthe rotor blade 16 at the trailing end. Moreover, the rollers 24 aremounted on the trailer attach frame 26. Also shown in FIG. 4 are Guiderollers 27, which maintain the radial motion of the radial frames 22about the rotor blade 16 rotational axis.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the trailer rotor blade holdingdevice 20 with the rotor blade 16 not present. In this embodiment of thepresent invention, the trailer attach frame 26 of the trailer rotorblade holding device 20 is mounted on a rotatable frame mount 28, whichis rotatably mounted on the trailer 14 to allow for easier maneuveringthrough curves and turns.

FIG. 6 illustrates, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention, a view of the tractor 12 of the transport device 10 with aholding device 30 for receiving the rotor blade 16 at the rotor bladeroot 40. In this embodiment of the present invention, the tractor rotorblade holding device 30 comprises a tractor attach frame 32 and a cradle34. The cradle 34 is fixedly coupled to the tractor attach frame 32 andreceives the rotor blade root 40.

FIG. 7 illustrates in more detail the reception of the rotor blade root40 by the cradle 34. In this embodiment of the present invention, sincethe diameter of the rotor blade 16 is very large (more than 2 m), anintermediate device 42 is positioned between the cradle 34 and the rotorblade 16. The intermediate device 42 is rotatably coupled to butt jointring 36, which is captively received by the cradle 34. The intermediatedevice 42 is fixedly coupled to the rotor blade 16 such that whenrotated, the intermediate device 42 prompts the rotation of the rotorblade 16. In addition, a plurality of stiffening members 44 may beincorporated on the transition regions between the rotor blade 16 andthe intermediate device 42 to prevent structural deformation of therotor blade root 40.

FIG. 8 illustrates the rotor blade root of FIG. 7 with the cradle 34 notpresent. The rotation of the intermediate device 42 is selectivelyprompted by the rotary drive 38. Upon approaching a freeway bridge 18,as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or other obstacles with a height limitation,the transport vehicle operator may actuate the rotary drive 38 viaremote control means inside the tractor cabin to initiate the rotationof the intermediate device 42, which in turn rotates the rotor blade 16.Alternatively when the roadway passage profile of roads are measured andappropriately programmed or stored in a databank, the rotary drive 38may be prompted automatically upon approaching obstacles with heightlimitation. These figures also show that the intermediate piececomprises a rotary drive and an appropriate rotary support.

The intermediate piece is fastened to a holding frame of the tractor onthe side facing away from the rotor blade.

The trailer rotor blade holding device 20 located on the trailer isrotatably mounted and follows the rotation of the rotor blade by meansof the rotary drive on the intermediate device 42 that rotates the rotorblade 16. Alternatively, the trailer rotor blade holding device 20 mayalso comprise a controlled rotary drive that is coordinated in such amanner as to correspond with the rotary drive 38 that rotates theintermediate device 42.

The butt joint ring 36 is the ring that will bolt the blade 16 to thewind power device. It is rigidly fixed to the cradle 34. The drive motor38 and gearing are the same that will be used to feather the blade whilein operation on the wind power device. Thus, the same structure thatwill be used to connect and turn the blade on the final wind powerinstallation will be used to connect and rotate the blade while beingtransported.

The trailer rotor blade holding device 20, as shown according to oneembodiment of the invention in FIGS. 3 through 5, may be adapted to theparticular profile of the rotor blade at the rotor blade holding frame23. The rotor blade may comprise one or more passages 29 that providefor means to lock the blade in place. For example, in one embodiment asshown in FIG. 3, the passage 29 may comprise a lug that mates with therotor blade holding frame lugs 21, through which appropriate holdingbolts may extend so that the rotor blade cannot slip off the holdingdevice of the trailer under any circumstances. Those skilled in the artwill appreciate alternate means for securing the rotor blade to therotor blade holding frame 23 on the trailer rotor blade holding device20 without deviating from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

As can be further recognized, the holding device provided on the traileris itself rotatably mounted in order to make it easier to drive throughcurves.

In addition, the transport vehicle 10 of the present invention mayinclude, in one embodiment of the invention as illustrated in FIG. 7,one or more warning devices 46. Warning devices 46 can sense a potentialcollision of the transported cargo with a passable limitation (to theside, above or below) and report this to the driver cabin in theinstance of such a danger of collision so that the transporting drivercan effect a timely pivoting of the cargo such that a collision of thecargo with a profile limitation of the roadway is no longer possible.

The rotating of the cargo can take place when the vehicle is standing oralso during a slow or moderate travel of the vehicle.

All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications,U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applicationsand non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/orlisted in the Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein byreference, in their entirety. From the foregoing it will be appreciatedthat, although specific embodiments of the invention have been describedherein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be madewithout deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appendedclaims.

1. A transport vehicle trailer, comprising: a trailer bed mounted onplurality of wheels; a trailer attach frame rotatably mounted on thetrailer bed; one or more radial frames rotatably mounted on the trailerattach frame; and a cargo holding frame fixedly coupled to the radialframes to captively receive an outboard end of a rotor blade of a windpower system.
 2. A transport vehicle holding device, comprising: atrailer bed mounted on a plurality of wheels, a tractor attach frameoperably coupled to a tractor and coupled to the trailer bed; and acradle coupled to the tractor attach frame to captively receive a rotarysupport of a root of a rotor blade of a wind power system and beingcoupled to the rotor blade to permit the rotor blade to rotate.